"Everything is perfect about Ole Miss"

Johnson took
an unofficial visit to the University of Mississippi in late June.

Was
the visit enough to solidify his commitment?

The following information
was revealed during our interview with Sam Johnson:

What are you
up to, strength wise, these days? "I am about 220 right now. Strength, I
am benching 325 and squatting 550. I have not been measured in my vertical yet."

How
did your unofficial visit to Ole Miss go? "It was nice, real nice. Everything
was good, top to bottom. The whole thing, everything. The campus. The coaches
are cool. The facilities are tight. Everything is perfect about Ole Miss. I mean,
they have three practice fields and even an indoor facility. The campus, town,
just everything. The Grove, man, that place is beautiful. I have never seen anything
like Ole Miss before."

Was this your first trip to Ole Miss? "Yes,
it was my first trip to see the whole thing. I have passed through the town, you
know, but I have never been on their campus. Everything looked different this
time. Coach Orgeron is real cool too. He tells you straight up how it's going
to be. He is kind of like my coach here at school. You have to work real hard
in his program, just like over here."

Which colleges have now offered
you a scholarship? "Ole Miss, Minnesota, Michigan State, Kansas offered me
a couple of days before I committed to Ole Miss. Louisville offered me right after
I committed to Ole Miss. I really did not pay too much attention to what Louisville
had to say because Ole Miss is where I wanted to go the whole time. I wanted to
get back close to home, you know, by my roots. Ole Miss is only an hour and a
half from home."

Where is your family from? "I am a Delta boy,
from Leland (MS). My folks stay in Leland, and the rest of my family lives in
Greenville (MS)."

Which position is Ole Miss recruiting you to play?
"At first, they were talking about fullback. But, when I talked to Coach
Slocum on my visit he told me definitely linebacker. He said he did not know who
called me first and told me FB, but I was definitely going to play LB at Ole Miss."

What
do you currently play for your high school? "Tailback and linebacker. But
I will play fullback, linebacker, it is all good. We play in a power offense where
we use three running backs. I pretty much block like a fullback anyway, so I am
use to it. I mean, I rushed for over 1,300 yards, so I got my touches. But in
our offense, you are going to block if you are a running back. I do not really
care where I play at Ole Miss. I just want to be on the field."

Where
do you feel more natural? "Linebacker."

Have you attended any
camps this summer? "Our team went to the CMSU and Missouri camp."

Why
have you not been to Ole Miss' camp? "In Missouri, we do not have Spring
ball, so we practice during the team camps. You can only go to three or you are
declared ineligible. Our team camps are all in Missouri. We do not go out of state.
I mean, it is not like the rest of the states where the players can go to as many
camps as they want. We literally put our pads on and stay for the week. We practice
in pads all week at these camps."

What are some of the goals you have
set for yourself? "My goal is to go to Ole Miss' summer school and get ready
to play ball at the next level. I am going to bust my butt when I get down there,
and the rest will take care of itself."

Tell the Ole Miss fans what
they can expect from Sam Johnson? "Nasty, all day, all the time. That is
what type of player I am. I am totally different on the field than I am off of
it. Once I get in a game, my switch just goes off."

Have you been
keeping up with Ole Miss' recruiting class? "Oh yea, I keep up with it every
day. I met some of their prospects on my unofficial visit. I have been talking
to Justin Woodall (DB) and Franklin Mitchem (DB) ever since I left (on my unofficial
visit from Ole Miss). I think they are coming. We are going to have one of the
best classes in the country. I mean, Coach O has proven he is going to bring in
the talent. That is one of the main reasons I choose Ole Miss."